geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: GiraffePencils on Wed, 26 March 2014, 11:36:18
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Hey all,
I was gonna build a Keyboard, then my plan for switches fell through so it's a bit expensive tbh.
I might just buy a Poker II, I keep seeing them and thinking they look cool.
Am I right in thinking they're good keyboards?
any problems people had with them?
I use Dvorak if that makes a difference.
Thanks
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There's a group buy for Poker II on Mass Drop right now. Less than 100 bucks.
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There's a group buy for Poker II on Mass Drop right now. Less than 100 bucks.
x2. I just got in on it, totally worth it. $100 shipped for a backlit Poker II.
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/vortex-pokerii-keyboard
5 days left.
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Yep, great keyboard!
A lot of people will learn towards the PBT keycap version that isn't backlit, but the keycaps are so easy to swap out anyways that I wish I had gotten the backlit version when I had a Poker II for the nice underglow effect :).
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Oh darn... just got my KBT pure not long ago when I wanted this :(
@OP, yea i would think that the poker 2 is a good choice for a 60% board
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Would the shipping cover shipping to the uk?
Edit:
Actually followed the link....DAMN......I should go for it shouldn't I?
I've been a bit down lately, this could totally put me on a high couldn't it?
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Would the shipping cover shipping to the uk?
Edit:
Actually followed the link....DAMN......I should go for it shouldn't I?
I've been a bit down lately, this could totally put me on a high couldn't it?
Go for it. You won't be disappointed.
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Its a nice compact board, I say go for it.
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i used mine for a while and i really loved the compact layout. but lately i keep using my old model m so i am thinking about selling my poker. but i can absolutely recommend the poker as a good and durable keyboard
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I'm actually trying to decide if I want the Poker II or the ErgoDox from MassDrop as I can only buy one of them.
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Would the shipping cover shipping to the uk?
Edit:
Actually followed the link....DAMN......I should go for it shouldn't I?
I've been a bit down lately, this could totally put me on a high couldn't it?
They aren't much more in the UK on amazon. Massdrop seems like a good price but factor in another 30% for import tax and charges. Works out to be a little under £95.
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Why does it somewhere say kbc poker and somewhere vortex poker? They arent the same thing?
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Why does it somewhere say kbc poker and somewhere vortex poker? They arent the same thing?
i am pretty sure that they're the same.
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Poker II is great, even the stock caps.
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Poker II is great, even the stock caps.
What material are the stock caps? In the case of the Pure pro I have seen both, abs translucent legends and PBTs. Is it the same with Poker II?
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Poker IIs come with PBT (non-backlit) and ABS (backlit).
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Poker IIs come with PBT (non-backlit) and ABS (backlit).
Alright, so it is the same as the Pure Pro.
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thinking of getting one too. heard nothing but good things about it :D
just trying to figure out where/how i can get all the parts to customise it to my liking :j
because i want a backlit one, but i want a white (or light beige) body and plate, as well as pbt keys. i'm just not sure if i can get the plate/body/pbts all in the same colour without actually having to buy a whole extra Poker II for it ;p
not sure what backlit colour i want, either.
fortunately there are many options available for the poker ii, which is a big bonus in my opinion :j
by the way: does anyone know if the available pbt keycaps for the poker II are the same pbt keys as found on the stock pure pro?
because i really like the feel of the pbts on my pure pro and read they are 'plus thick pbts', rather than regular ones..? (sorry; i'm new!)
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double post - sorry :<
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any problems people had with them?
I use Dvorak if that makes a difference.
I use my poker 2 in hardware dvorak mode all the time. It's a great kb.thinking of getting one too. heard nothing but good things about it :D
just trying to figure out where/how i can get all the parts to customise it to my liking :j
because i want a backlit one, but i want a white (or light beige) body and plate, as well as pbt keys. i'm just not sure if i can get the plate/body/pbts all in the same colour without actually having to buy a whole extra Poker II for it ;p
not sure what backlit colour i want, either.
fortunately there are many options available for the poker ii, which is a big bonus in my opinion :j
by the way: does anyone know if the available pbt keycaps for the poker II are the same pbt keys as found on the stock pure pro?
because i really like the feel of the pbts on my pure pro and read they are 'plus thick pbts', rather than regular ones..? (sorry; i'm new!)
This will be quite the project for you! You'll have to desolder the entire KB and then paint the case/plate. While you're there, may as well open the switches to install SIP headers so you can swap LEDs out whenever.
The PBT that comes with the stock poker II is really thick.
double post - sorry :<
It's OK! :)
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They aren't much more in the UK on amazon. Massdrop seems like a good price but factor in another 30% for import tax and charges. Works out to be a little under £95.
Aaaah....Hmmm, Can anyone confirm this?
95 kinda makes it not worth it. :/
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http://www.dutycalculator.com/
puts the duty and vat to pay at 13.94 GBP, is that around the right mark?
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Last order I had that import duty also had a £10 handling charge, the price the duty is charge on can sometimes also include the postage, I got my ISO Poker II in the UK for around £90 and I think PEXON on here does the ISO version.
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just dropped him an email lol, there was none in stock on his site, I'm kinda put off the caps in the massdrop tbh.
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For me, stock caps didn't matter since I was going to swap them out anyways. Plus I don't care for the Poker II caps font and "Enjoy your feeling" text on the spacebar. LEDs are harder to add. :)
If you're interested in thick PBT's, check out Ivan's group buy (http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=50935.0).
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I'm still having an internal struggle with it :P
caps can be replaced, but it adds to the cost :/
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I'm still having an internal struggle with it :P
caps can be replaced, but it adds to the cost :/
If you spend any more time in these forums, you'll be getting more caps soon. Trust me. :p
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I'm still having an internal struggle with it :P
caps can be replaced, but it adds to the cost :/
If you spend any more time in these forums, you'll be getting more caps soon. Trust me. :p
Words of wisdom right here.
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I bought a Poker II with MX Reds from qtan.
It is an excellent, well built keyboard.
One point of advice: if this is your first 60% keyboard, just think it through whether you are 100% confident the layout will fit your needs. I bought it for software development and never managed to be as efficient as with a TKL+ keyboard.
I like it so much though, that I might simply buy a separate keypad to complement it. This way, I would only need the Fn layer for the F1-F12 keys.
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I'm still having an internal struggle with it :p
caps can be replaced, but it adds to the cost :/
And it adds to the fun as well.
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This will be quite the project for you! You'll have to desolder the entire KB and then paint the case/plate. While you're there, may as well open the switches to install SIP headers so you can swap LEDs out whenever.
The PBT that comes with the stock poker II is really thick.
thanks for your reply :) much appreciated.
not really feeling confident about painting anything, though :<
so maybe i should just go for the poker II with pbts, without backlighting ;p i've also been looking into TKL keyboards and maybe i will be going for one of those, rather than a poker II..
as for soldering (never done it); i've been looking into it because i want to open up my pure pro for lube/stickers and maybe i'll change the springs. just can't figure out what soldering equipment i should get :/
anyway; do you have some more info for me on (installing) SIP headers? maybe a link or even a tutorial? first time i heard about it.
btw: dampeners = silencers = landing pads. Right? ;p
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This will be quite the project for you! You'll have to desolder the entire KB and then paint the case/plate. While you're there, may as well open the switches to install SIP headers so you can swap LEDs out whenever.
The PBT that comes with the stock poker II is really thick.
thanks for your reply :) much appreciated.
not really feeling confident about painting anything, though :<
so maybe i should just go for the poker II with pbts, without backlighting ;p i've also been looking into TKL keyboards and maybe i will be going for one of those, rather than a poker II..
as for soldering (never done it); i've been looking into it because i want to open up my pure pro for lube/stickers and maybe i'll change the springs. just can't figure out what soldering equipment i should get :/
anyway; do you have some more info for me on (installing) SIP headers? maybe a link or even a tutorial? first time i heard about it.
btw: dampeners = silencers = landing pads. Right? ;p
Personally just a soldering iron will do and some solder of course for beginners.
As for the dampeners, there are different kinds. Landing pads are one thing but there are O rings as well. (I wonder if we're talking about the same thing lol)
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anyway; do you have some more info for me on (installing) SIP headers? maybe a link or even a tutorial? first time i heard about it.
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=51792.0
I like to cut off the pins completely, damorgue leaves on some of the plastic.
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Personally just a soldering iron will do and some solder of course for beginners.
As for the dampeners, there are different kinds. Landing pads are one thing but there are O rings as well. (I wonder if we're talking about the same thing lol)
right; landing pads and o-rings. they are the only two kinds of softening, correct? :)
as for soldering: you're probably right :j but i want to feel confident i'm buying the right stuff (for me). and i don't want to end up messing up my precious keyboards because i'm using wrong/unreliable products ;p
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=51792.0
I like to cut off the pins completely, damorgue leaves on some of the plastic.
thanks! awesome thread :)
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I'm 90% not going for the mass drop,
lights don't matter a whole lot to me, I'd rather buy a PBT one straight off.
Can anyone tell me the difference between these 2?
because the amazon's caps look off putting, and I wasn't sure if it was lighting.
http://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=460
http://www.amazon.co.uk/KBT-Poker-Mechanical-Keyboard-Backlight/dp/B00GERK562/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1395915932&sr=1-2&keywords=KBT+Poker+2
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The link from Amazon is for the backlit version with ABS keycaps. From mk.com, it's the non-backlit version with PBT.
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Right, now I'm all confused, the title says:
KBT Poker 2 - Ultra Compact Mechanical Keyboard - Without Backlight PBT Caps
But the description is:
Backlit Keyboard
62 Keys
ISO - QWERTY (UK)
PBT Keycaps
Macros
brain hurty.... :(
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I believe the pictures are incorrect on Amazon; those are almost certainly pictures if the backlight compatible ABS caps.
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Yeah, I thought the caps looked off.
So if it so the PBT caps no backlight, It'd be the same as the model from mk.com?
Just it has the wrong Picture?
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Yeah, I thought the caps looked off.
So if it so the PBT caps no backlight, It'd be the same as the model from mk.com?
Just it has the wrong Picture?
edit: you can select the switches you want and then select the colour of the backlighting you want. i guess if you go for 'No light', you will get PBTs.
after selecting the colour of the backlighting, the page will refresh and you'll see 'Size Name' and 'Colour Name' change. the price also changes accordingly.
i'm convinced you will get the exact same as on mk.com if you go for 'No light' :D
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Haha, Now don't I feel silly :P
Thank you for looking past the first glance :D
hmmmmmm, I'm very tempted now... need to consult the bank account gods :P
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90 quid seems like a lot to me for a Poker II. Before you go that route, consider that the backlit version from Massdrop is only 70 after shipping, leaving you with some extra cash with which to buy even better keycaps ;) It would come out to more in the end, but that's what I would do…
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Well I was concerned about the vat and handling charges on the mass drop, which put it in the same ballpark but with caps I'd not prefer.
TBH I don't know a lot about the import taxes etc. an online calculator said 13, someone else said they got a 10 quid handling on top, I was just put-off through being unsure.
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http://www.dutycalculator.com/
puts the duty and vat to pay at 13.94 GBP, is that around the right mark?
You don't pay duty if the item is £135 or less. You do however have the priveledge of paying £10 to Royal Mail for collecting your 20% import tax. You may get lucky and slip through unnoticed but I don't think it's worth the risk. They aren't supposed to include the price of postage in valuing the item, but they often do.
It's actually really easy to find the rules and conditions for importing goods in the UK if you did want proof.
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Ah, I'd be concerned about all of that as well. I'm very thankful that it's something I never have to deal with…
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Yeah, that online calculator puts it at £83.54
then state's £8 royal mail handling (10 is a safer number)
So we're now at more than amazon and no PBT caps :/
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Yep, the poker is amazing honestly. Probably my favorite stock keyboard so far.
If you get the chance down the road, get an aluminum case for it if you are into that sort of thing, it makes them feel that much better. :D
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Right, now I'm all confused, the title says:
KBT Poker 2 - Ultra Compact Mechanical Keyboard - Without Backlight PBT Caps
But the description is:
Backlit Keyboard
62 Keys
ISO - QWERTY (UK)
PBT Keycaps
Macros
brain hurty.... :(
If it's backlit it's ABS else it's the PBT caps, I got the ISO PBT one (it's my photo on the amazon uk review), mine also came fitted with a blank space bar, sometimes wish I'd gone for an ANSI layout to make keycaps easier to get. Might be picking another up for work as my full size keyboards feel massive and awkward to use now.
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Yeah, that online calculator puts it at £83.54
then state's £8 royal mail handling (10 is a safer number)
So we're now at more than amazon and no PBT caps :/
OK as if by magic, I've just relieved a dreaded silver card through the post. Just been stung for import tax on some keycaps I ordered. So I've had to pay £13.14, £8 of which is for Royal Mail. So that leaves £5.14 which is roughly 20% of what I paid.
So there you go.
- Squarefrog - getting fleeced by Royal Mail so you don't have to :p
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I bought a Poker II with MX Reds from qtan.
It is an excellent, well built keyboard.
One point of advice: if this is your first 60% keyboard, just think it through whether you are 100% confident the layout will fit your needs. I bought it for software development and never managed to be as efficient as with a TKL+ keyboard.
I like it so much though, that I might simply buy a separate keypad to complement it. This way, I would only need the Fn layer for the F1-F12 keys.
Interesting post -- I was looking into getting this keyboard for work because lugging my full size back and forth from work is getting a little old. Will I really miss my insert/home/etc? It just seems like it'll be so much more convenient
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Will I really miss my insert/home/etc?
i think it mostly depends on how much you use them.
do i miss'em..? aaabsolutely not.
i guess it's just a matter of weighing out pros and cons.
awesomely small keyboard versus missing some (dedicated) keys.. well, apart from my muscle memory being weirded out, i loved my 60% from day one.
and with each day of use i get more used to the layout, which just makes me feel better and better about the purchase.
one love!
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Will I really miss my insert/home/etc?
i think it mostly depends on how much you use them.
do i miss'em..? aaabsolutely not.
i guess it's just a matter of weighing out pros and cons.
awesomely small keyboard versus missing some (dedicated) keys.. well, apart from my muscle memory being weirded out, i loved my 60% from day one.
and with each day of use i get more used to the layout, which just makes me feel better and better about the purchase.
one love!
I use those keys a lot at work, I've just gotten so use to their functionality. Does the Poker II have a Fn layer with Insert/Home/End/etc? If so then no problem really, will just use that. As you said, might take a bit of getting used to but not really an issue I'd imagine.
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I use those keys a lot at work, I've just gotten so use to their functionality. Does the Poker II have a Fn layer with Insert/Home/End/etc? If so then no problem really, will just use that. As you said, might take a bit of getting used to but not really an issue I'd imagine.
yep!
(http://rhino.im/u/0021/IMG_1291.JPG)
i'm sure you can google more/better images.
also: this (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CC0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgeekhack.org%2Findex.php%3Faction%3Ddlattach%3Btopic%3D45350.0%3Battach%3D27093&ei=0wQ1U4SoFMjt0gW4qID4CA&usg=AFQjCNE9o0t0ds1hiemkVCAw-avh8XnZNw&sig2=UiTwZuuDqhm9JbRD-6Scrg) is the official manual. it shows the whole (Fn) layout.
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oops. double post :(
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Poker II seems to have dedicated arrows on WASD, wtf?!!
Why did they change from Poker 1?
its the biggest **** i ever seen on 60 size keyboard
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Poker II seems to have dedicated arrows on WASD, wtf?!!
Why did they change from Poker 1?
its the biggest **** i ever seen on 60 size keyboard
I agree with you that arrows on WASD is unpractical. However, the keyboard is programmable. You can remap the arrows where you want (almost).
Basically, you don't have to worry much about the default Fn layout. You can remap it almost completely so it better suits your needs.
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Basically, you don't have to worry much about the default Fn layout. You can remap it almost completely so it better suits your needs.
i didn't even know this :D awesome!
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Poker II seems to have dedicated arrows on WASD, wtf?!!
Why did they change from Poker 1?
its the biggest **** i ever seen on 60 size keyboard
I agree with you that arrows on WASD is unpractical. However, the keyboard is programmable. You can remap the arrows where you want (almost).
Basically, you don't have to worry much about the default Fn layout. You can remap it almost completely so it better suits your needs.
Not really. The Fn layer is set, you can't remap it. The Pn (Programmable) layer can be customized but it's limited to a single Pn key location on the board, so unless you want to use two hands, or use a remapping close to the bottom-right, it's not as flexible as it should be.
That said the CapsLock+WASD combo (DIP switch 1+3) is pretty good once I became used to it. I can use one hand for arrow keys while the other for a mouse. I've also mapped Pn+PL;" as a secondary arrow key array, amongst other nifty system key combos.
The Pg Up/Down/Home/etc array is not ideal, but with an app such as Autohotkey it's possible to remap the positions in software - or you could customize the Pn layer if that suits.
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Poker II seems to have dedicated arrows on WASD, wtf?!!
Why did they change from Poker 1?
its the biggest **** i ever seen on 60 size keyboard
I agree with you that arrows on WASD is unpractical. However, the keyboard is programmable. You can remap the arrows where you want (almost).
Basically, you don't have to worry much about the default Fn layout. You can remap it almost completely so it better suits your needs.
Not really. The Fn layer is set, you can't remap it.
I'm sorry, you need to check your facts.
I own a Poker II and I have remapped the whole Fn layer. By this, I mean that I have remapped almost every Fn+key combinations.
I can still access the original Fn layout by pressing Fn+Pn+key (which I almost never do).
So to sum it up I have 2 Fn layers:
- a fully remapped Fn layer
- the original Fn layer accessible by Fn+Pn
I have already explained several times that you can remap the Fn layer, and how.
So please download the manual if you don't have it already and read it carefully.
[attachurl=1]
The Pn (Programmable) layer can be customized but it's limited to a single Pn key location on the board, so unless you want to use two hands, or use a remapping close to the bottom-right, it's not as flexible as it should be.
That said the CapsLock+WASD combo (DIP switch 1+3) is pretty good once I became used to it. I can use one hand for arrow keys while the other for a mouse. I've also mapped Pn+PL;" as a secondary arrow key array, amongst other nifty system key combos.
The Pg Up/Down/Home/etc array is not ideal, but with an app such as Autohotkey it's possible to remap the positions in software - or you could customize the Pn layer if that suits.
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Can you put it here for mapping Fn somewhere else
I think people are interested by how to switch dedicated arrows to another keys
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Can you put it here for mapping Fn somewhere else
I think people are interested by how to switch dedicated arrows to another keys
I'm going to post in a dedicated thread a new layout designed especially for 60% keyboards. It allows for full one-handed navigation and has a number of other advantages like direct access to both Esc and Backquote/Tilde without using Fn. I think it will be of interest for Poker 2 users, as it can easily be programmed into the keyboard itself (nothing required on the computer side).
I have even designed, ordered and received a set of keys for this new layout, so I will be able to show both diagrams and photographs.
Unfortunately I'm very busy at this time (new baby in the house :D ), otherwise I would have already posted it.
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I'm sorry, you need to check your facts.
I own a Poker II and I have remapped the whole Fn layer. By this, I mean that I have remapped almost every Fn+key combinations.
I can still access the original Fn layout by pressing Fn+Pn+key (which I almost never do).
So to sum it up I have 2 Fn layers:
- a fully remapped Fn layer
- the original Fn layer accessible by Fn+Pn
I have already explained several times that you can remap the Fn layer, and how.
So please download the manual if you don't have it already and read it carefully.
I must have read over the manual a few times but missed the line about Fn combinations, and likely seeing the search results for the Poker indicating it can't be done (I realize the Poker X must have been referred to).
Can't believe I missed this vital piece of information. So everything can be remapped on both layers - good to know :thumb:
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I'm sorry, you need to check your facts.
I own a Poker II and I have remapped the whole Fn layer. By this, I mean that I have remapped almost every Fn+key combinations.
I can still access the original Fn layout by pressing Fn+Pn+key (which I almost never do).
So to sum it up I have 2 Fn layers:
- a fully remapped Fn layer
- the original Fn layer accessible by Fn+Pn
I have already explained several times that you can remap the Fn layer, and how.
So please download the manual if you don't have it already and read it carefully.
I must have read over the manual a few times but missed the line about Fn combinations, and likely seeing the search results for the Poker indicating it can't be done (I realize the Poker X must have been referred to).
Can't believe I missed this vital piece of information. So everything can be remapped on both layers - good to know :thumb:
Yes it's the toggle Pn mode that also allows the keyboard to be remapped to Dvorak for those who want to.
Personally I use the toggle Pn mode to remap the Fn layer. When you are in this mode, the standard Fn layer is still accessible by Fn+Pn+key.
One annoying bit is that the toggle Pn mode is switched off automatically when you unplug the keyboard or reprogram a key. So in these cases you need to remember to reactivate it with Fn+Shift (the right side Shift). The LED on the left side of the space bar tells you when you have activated it.
This mode also allows to swap Control and Caps Lock for those who like it this way. Or to put Backspace on Backslash, for the HHKB lovers... There are many uses.
There are some limitations, but in general the Poker 2 programming mode is quite useful.